2012 National Geographic Photography Contest winners

By By VANESSA HO

on January 7, 2013 5:33 PM

This photo, called "The Explosion!," was announced Monday as the winner of the 2012 National Geographic Photography Contest.

Photographer: Ashley Vincent Location: Chonburi, Thailand

Says Vincent: "The subject's name is Busaba, a well-cared-for Indochinese Tigress whose home is at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Thailand. I had taken many portraits of Busaba previously, and it was becoming more and more difficult to come up with an image that appeared any different to the others. Which is why I took to observing her more carefully during my visits, in the hope of capturing something of a behavioural shot."

"The opportunity finally presented itself while watching Busaba enjoying her private pool, then shaking herself dry. In all humility, I have to say that Mother Nature smiled favourably on me that day!"

This photo, called " The Explosion! ," was announced... Photo-3995874.54798 - GreenwichTime

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Viewers' Choice winner in the "nature" category: "Tender Moment"

Photographer: Sanjeey BhorLocation: Masai Mara National Reserve, KenyaBhor: "Everyday in Mara starts with something new and different, and day ends with memorable experiences with spectacular photographs. I was very lucky of sighting and photographing Malaika, the name of (the) female cheetah and her cub. She is well known for (her) habit to jump on vehicles. She learned that from her mother, Kike, and Kike from her mother, Amber."

"Like her mother, she is teaching lessons to her cub. Teaching lessons means addition of another moment for tourist. This is one of the tender moments between Malaika and her cub. I was very lucky to capture that moment."

Eastman: "With his exceptional hearing, a red fox has targeted a mouse hidden under two feet of crusted snow. Springing high in the air, he breaks through the crusted spring snow with his nose, and his body is completely vertical as he grabs the mouse under the snow."

Melau: "A race that follows in the path of the famous explorer Roald Amundsen brings the contestants to the Hardangervidda Mountainplateu, Norway. A hundred km across the plateau, the exact same route Amundsen used to prepare for his South Pole expedition in 1911 is still used by explorers today."

"Amundsen did not manage to cross the plateau and had to turn back because of bad weather. He allegedly said that the attempt to cross Hardangervidda was just as dangerous and hard as the conquering of the South Pole. The group in the picture used the race as preparations for an attempt to cross Greenland."

Guth: "Glacial ice washes ashore after calving off the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier on Iceland's eastern coast. During the waning light of summer, this image was created over the course of a four-minute exposure, while the photographer backlit the grounded glacial ice with a headlamp for two of those four minutes."

Photographer: Micah AlbertLocation: Dandora, Kenya Albert: "Kenya’s Dandora Municipal Dump site is the only dumping location for waste in Nairobi, East Africa’s most populous city. Located just 8 km from the central business district, the 30-acre Dandora site literally spills into the households of nearly 1 million people living in nearby slums."

"Behind the statistics of children with respiratory ailments, toxic blood lead levels, skin disorders, and fatal diseases directly attributed to the waste are stories of communities that have grown to depend on the dump - from street children who live off the money they make selling food and other items they find in its piles, to residents who are paid pennies a day by private cartels to sort and recycle waste."

"The country’s leadership has long shown alarming indifference to Dandora – ignoring environmental laws, UN-commissioned health studies, and calls for closure from human rights groups. At the end of the day, women are allowed to pick through the dumpsite."

Coish: "Chipping ice off an iceberg is a common way for the Inuit community to retrieve fresh drinking water while on the land. During a weekend long hunting trip, we came upon this majestic iceberg frozen in place. It was a perfect opportunity to grab enough ice and drinking water for the remainder of the trip."

Lambert: "Stilt fishing is a typical fishing technique only seen in Sri Lanka. The fishermen sit on a cross bar called a petta tied to a vertical pole planted into the coral reef. This long exposure shot shows how unstable their position is."

Guan: ""Dragon boating is a Chinese traditional entertainment. As an acquatic sport to memorise Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet in ancient China, it is usually held in festivals, which can be traced back to 2,000 years ago."

Phillips: "Yayasan Galuh Rehabilitation Center is and impoverished mental health facility based in Bekasi, Indonesia that hosts over 250 patients. Most come from poor families no longer interested in managing their condition, or are unable."

"Some patients are homeless, deposited after being taken off streets by police. The only medical treatment received is for skin conditions. No assessments, psychotherapy or psychiatric medications is available. Over one third of the patients are shackled in chains."

"These measures are implemented to those thought to be violent, uncontrolable and dangerous."